


Seconds

by miera



Series: Rescue Operation [2]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-01-28
Updated: 2010-01-28
Packaged: 2017-10-06 19:01:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miera/pseuds/miera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reed and Sato talk about their first kiss. Sequel to "Rescue Operation."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seconds

The shuttle pod docked smoothly and Hoshi opened the hatch. Before she had the chance to pick him up, Porthos scrambled over the door, barking madly. He pelted across the floor and jumped into Captain Archer's waiting arms.

"Hey boy, good to see you back," Archer scratched the beagle behind the ears as Porthos' tail went crazy. Archer looked at his two officers with a smile. "Thanks for getting him back. I take it everything went smoothly?"

Malcolm nodded. "No problems, sir. Mr. Damashir never even knew we were there."

Trip had been standing behind Archer, and he reached over to pat Porthos on the back. "Guess he'll be a bit surprised to find his new prize possession is gone."

"It was foolish of him to think he could simply kidnap an alien life form and not have anyone notice," Malcolm snorted.

"It's not like there were a lot of canine biosigns on the planet," Hoshi added. She stretched absently and Malcolm's stomach tightened as he saw Trip's eyes go wide. Hoshi was wearing only a halter top and a very short skirt which left little to the imagination. Trip, however, looked like he was using his.

Malcolm looked around for a moment, and then ducked back into the shuttle pod. He came out with Hoshi's red shawl in his hands and gently wrapped it around her shoulders.

Trip blinked, and then blushed slightly.

Hoshi looked down at the red fabric and brushed at it, frowning. "I'm never going to get all the dog hair off this thing."

Archer looked up from Porthos' enthusiastic kisses. "Thank you both for doing this," he said again, apologetically.

Hoshi shrugged. "It's not like you could go back down there. Damashir's people would've recognized you right away. It was logical for Malcolm and I to go." Something unreadable passed over her face.

Archer smiled at what sounded almost like an unconscious impersonation of T'Pol. "It was still above and beyond the call of duty."

Malcolm said, "Not at all sir. The safety of the crew is my responsibility after all."

Trip grinned at him. "So if, say, Phlox's mucus slug ever gets loose in the ship, you're volunteering to chase the thing down?"

Malcolm cocked his head to the side. "I'd say that was a failure of Sickbay's engineering, Commander, which would make it your problem."

Archer chuckled and held Porthos up. "I think this calls for some cheese to celebrate, huh?" He nodded at Hoshi and Malcolm. "Check in with Phlox just in case and then take the rest of the night off."

Archer left and Malcolm turned to finish locking the pod down. Trip waved him off. "It's all right, I got it. Go see Phlox and get some rest. I want to hear all about your thrilling heroics at breakfast tomorrow." He winked at them. Malcolm gave him his normal half-smile in return, but Hoshi merely turned and walked out silently.

Concerned, Malcolm followed hastily. "Ensign? Are you all right?"

She didn't speak right away. When they reached the turbolift, she reached down and pulled off her shoes. "I'm fine. These shoes are a bit tight, that's all."

Malcolm's instincts told him she was lying, but he was reluctant to press the issue. They went to Sickbay in silence.

* * *

Malcolm walked Hoshi towards her quarters. Phlox had released them without requiring a trip to decon thankfully. Hoshi was still being very quiet and it unsettled Malcolm more than he wanted to admit. He decided to try one more time. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Startled, she looked up. "Yes, Lieutenant, I'm fine," she said trying a bit too hard to sound it.

They were at her door and he stopped. The thing that had been nagging at him since they were on the planet's surface broke loose finally and he spoke in a rush. "Hoshi? I'd like to...apologize. For what happened. In the stairwell."

There was no mistaking the blush that crept up her face. "Don't worry about it."

"It was the first thing I could think of to explain why we were there- "

"I get it, Malcolm," she snapped. Then she sighed. Not looking at him, she muttered, "Not exactly my idea of an ideal first kiss."

"Oh." Anxiety replaced his guilt. She hadn't enjoyed the kiss? He had a feeling he was going to spend the next several months reliving it. "God, Hoshi, I'm so sorry..."

Hoshi colored even further. "Not that I was expecting there to be...I just meant it was a bit...it caught me off guard."

Malcolm caught a glimmer of hope in her words. "What would be your ideal first kiss?"

She didn't meet his eyes. "I don't know. Romantic? Gentle?" She shook herself slightly. "But that's the thing about firsts, you don't get to do them over."

The trace of bitterness in her voice made him wince. Whatever he did or did not think of Hoshi, he disliked the idea of her carrying the memory of the stairwell around for the rest of her life. On impulse, he pulled her inside her quarters, away from any casual prying eyes.

Hoshi looked up at him, confused. His hand cupped her cheek. "No, we don't get to do them over. But perhaps we can do them one better." With that, he bent down and gently kissed her mouth, lips caressing lips, until hers parted and allowed his tongue to glide slowly against hers.

Hoshi tasted him thoroughly and deliberately. Her fingers threaded through his short hair, and Malcolm's arms wrapped around her waist as he drew her close.

The red shawl slipped off her shoulders and fell to the floor and Malcolm's hands touched the bare skin of her lower back. The contact caused an almost electric reaction in his groin again. Warnings began to sound in his mind and he reluctantly pulled away.

He absently brushed a thumb over her lower lip, which was slightly swollen from the pressure of his kiss. "Better now?" he asked.

She nodded. "Much. Thanks." Their eyes met briefly and Hoshi stepped back. "Goodnight, Lieutenant."

Malcolm decided it was time to beat a hasty retreat before he did anything else insane. "Goodnight, Hoshi."


End file.
